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Patented Dec. 14, 1897.

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Patented Dec. 14, 1897.

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UNITED STATES PATENT FFlCgE.

SCAFFOLD.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 595,405, dated December 14, 1897.

Application filed May 11, 1897. Serial No. 635,939. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HEZEKIAH MCLAUGH- LIN, a citizen of the United States, residing in Boston, in the county of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts,have invented new and useful Improvements in Scafiolds, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to that class of scaffolds which are so constructed as to be independent in stability and operation of any support obtained from the walls of the building. Moreover, it'belongs to that class of scaffolds, often termed stages, which can be easily dismembered, and hence are portable, and in which the platforms upon which the laborers and masons stand can be raised as the work of the bricklaying, for example, progresses, and can be moved vertically to any point within the limits of the scaffold. Furthermore, my invention is in some respects an improvement over and upon the scaffold described and claimed in Letters Patent of the United States granted to me February 25, 1896, and numbered 555,260, to which reference is made. i

'The nature of the invention consists in the novel construction and arrangement of parts hereinafter described, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, whereby thescaffold or stage is rendered safer, the operation of raising and lowering the platforms facilitated, its expense and weight decreased, and

ing-the outer sections of the telescopic posts as indicated by broken lines in Fig. 1. Fig.

4 is an end view of a hanging stage adapted to be applied to the lower bracket, thereby providing, if desired, athird or supplemental platform, the location in which said hanging stage is to be placed being indicated by broken lines in Fig. 2, showing the upper portion thereof. Fig. 5 is a vertical central longitudinal section of one of the telescopic posts. Fig. 6 is a plan view of the upper and lower connected brackets at one end of the scaffold. Fig. 7 is a horizontal section taken on line 7 Fig. 5. Fig. 8 is a vertical central longitudinal section of the inner telescopic part of one of the posts removed, showing sections of the brackets connected therewith. Fig. 9 is a horizontal section taken on line 9, Fig. 5.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.

Each of the supporting-posts consists of an outer stationary upright main post and an inner secondary post B, sliding telescopically in the main post. Each main or outer post comprises two channel-beams A, arranged vertically and with their flanges facing each other, as shown in Figs. 3, 7, and 9. These beams are connected by vertical plates A, which are bolted exteriorly to the inner flanges of the channel-beams A. The channel-beams are set a sufficient distance apart to allow ver ticallongitudinal spaces a a between them, thelatter of which is covered by the upright plate or bar A. The plate or bar A is provided with numerous vertically-arranged perforations a for the purpose below described,

said perforations being coincident with the vertical space a. The post consisting of these channelbeams and plate may be extended upward to any desired height by causing the plate A,which extends somewhat higher than the channel-beams, to be bolted to another set of channel beams provided with a similar vertical plate, whose lower end is at a suitable point to abut against the upper end of the plate A, while the lower ends of the channel-beams abut against the upper ends of the channel-beams A. This is illustrated in Fig. 3, in which side plates or binding-plates A are provided for bolting together the upper and-lower sets of channel-beams.

The secondary post, which slides within the main post A, consists of a channel-beam B, whose web faces the outer vertical opening a. Suitable antifriction-wheels b have their bearings in the beam B, while their periphcries bear against the inner surfaces of the IOO flanges of the beams A. Vertically-arranged perforations B are formed in the web of the beam B, and a dog 0 is hung from a suitable pin, preferably the one supporting the lower antifriction-wheel b, said dog being so weighted and hung that its engaging end C will drop by gravity into one of the openings ct in the vertical plate A. A larger opening 0 is made in the web of the beam Bin order to allow the heel or weighted portion 0" to extend through said web. A lever (Z is thrust through one of the openings (4 in the plate A and thence at a downward angle through one of the openings 13 in the beam B, and by depressing the outer end of said lever the inner beam is raised, the ends 0 of the dog slipping out of its openings and swinging back and dropping into another opening when the desired height has been reached, thus locking the inner and outer posts together. The webs of the channel-beams A are provided with a vertical row of perforations a, Figs. 1 and 5, by means of which a safetybolt 6, Fig. 2, maybe inserted, so that in case the dog does not hold the fall of the inner post may be arrested. This safety-bolt is not new in this invention.

By providing the row of holes a, whereby the dog can engage the vertical plate A directly, instead of furnishing the post with horizontal rods for the dog to engage, I avoid weakening the post and also save the expense and weight of the numerous rods. Moreover, by this construction the dog is always in sight when it is in engagement, and hence it is always possible to ascertain whether the staging is safe. By providing the large opening 0 in the beam B, Iam able to provide the protuberance or weight C on the dog without interfering with its swinging motion, thus producing a quick and positive engagement by gravity with the openings a whereby the inner and outer posts are locked together. By making a plurality of apertures B in the channel-beam l3 and making them near to each other I am enabled to place the lever d through one of the openings a, and without removing it therefrom apply it in succession to several of the apertures Bfor the purpose of lifting the inner post B.

D and E are two brackets, D being the upper central bracket and E the lower. These brackets are rigidly connected by suitable bars, preferably by the somewhat spreading reverse U-shaped bar or brace F, made of angle-iron and whose closed upper portion F lies under and supports the upper bracket D and whose lower ends are bolted to the outer surface of the lower bracket E. (See Figs. 2, 5, and 8.) Aset of these brackets is secured to the scaffold at each end in the following manner: The brackets D E are supported, respectively, by the plates H and H, made of angle-iron and having their vertical portions bolted through the metallic blocks 7L h to the web of the channel-beam or inner post B, Figs. 5, '7, and 8. The portion F of the supporting-brace F rests directly on the upper plate H, and the bracket E rests directly on the lower plate H. The bracket D,

portion F, plate 11, bracket E, and plate II are perforated in a vertical line to allow two bolts K to drop through them and secure the brackets together. It will thus be seen that these brackets when in position are rigidly secured together and must move together vertically when the inner post is raised or lowered. Suitableplanksconstitutingplatforms fand g are stretched from the brackets at one end to those at the other end, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. On the platformfwill. be the brick, &c., on the portion of the platform g next the walls will be the masons, and on the outer portion of the same platform will be the laborers. The platform f is of suflieient height above the platform g to accommodate the masons at their work. It will be seen that the bracket E has no braces orsupports beneath it. Hence it can be lowered to the ground and raised gradually as the work progresses by the operation of the lever d, which can be worked from a platform or from the ground, and retained in successive heights by the dogs C. Thus the number of fastening-points for supporting the brackets is decreased as compared with the Letters Patent referred to. Moreover, the brackets are easily removed from the posts by withdrawing the bolts K.

A supplemental swinging stage L, Fig. 4, may be employed, if desired, such stage consisting of vertical sides and closed bottom, outwardly and horizontally projecting flanges or ends L, and abinding-bar L. The ends L overlap and rest upon the inner edges of the planks or platform 9 in the position indicated by broken lines in Fig. 2, and a suitable plank Z is supported at its opposite ends by the hanging stages at opposite ends of the scaffold. Thus a man may stand upon the plank Z and lift the outer brackets D E by operating the lever d or do any other desired work.

Brace-rods P, Fig. 1, are properly secured to the floor between the posts and engage said posts by means of hooked ends P, which extend through the perforations aim the vertical plates or bars A. The brace-rods can of course be readily removed when the scaffold is taken apart and hold the posts very firmly when in position by means of their shoulders P, which bear against the outer edges of the holes or perforations a. SS are ordinary brace-rods.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a scaffold of the character described, the telescopic main posts each comprising a pair of stationary channel-beams set vertically and with the flanges of one beam facing those of another but not in contact therewith, whereby vertical spaces are produced between the oppositely-arranged flanges, a vertically arranged sliding channel beam placed within and between said stationary beams and with its web opposite one of said ICC spaces, and a vertical bar or plate bolted exteriorly to two opposite flanges extending from the webs of the stationary beams; means for raising and lowering the inner sliding beam; and means for holding said inner slidin g beam at any desired height, substantially as described.

2. In a scaffold of the character described, the. telescopic main posts each comprising a pair of stationary channel-beams set vertically and with the flanges of one beam facin g those of another but not in contact therewith, whereby vertical spaces are produced between the oppositely-arranged flanges, a vertically arranged sliding channel beam placed within and between said stationary beams and with its web opposite one of said spaces, and a vertical baror plate bolted exteriorly to two opposite flanges extending from the webs of the stationary beams, said vertical plate or bar being provided with a series of substantially vertically arranged perforations a", and the web of said sliding channel-beam being provided with a plurality of substantially vertically arranged perforations B; a dog pivotally hung in the slidin g beam and adapted to drop by gravity in to engagement with said perforations a in the vertical plate or bar; and means for lifting said slidingbeam within the stationary beams, substantially as set forth.

3. In a scaffold of the character described, an external, stationary hollow post, provided with a series of substantially vertically arthe telescopic main posts each comprising a pair of stationary channel-beams set vertically and with the flanges of one beam facing those of another but not in contact therewith, wherebyvertical spaces are provided between the oppositely-arranged flanges, a verticallyarranged'slidin g channel-beam placed within and between said stationary beams and with its web opposite one of said spaces, and a bar or plate rigidly connecting said stationary channel-beams on one side; horizontal blocks or extensions projecting from the web of the inner sliding beam and extending through the space a between the flanges of the sta-' tionary beams opposite said vertical plate or bar, and placed one above the other, and provided at their outer ends with the horizontal supporting-plates H; and a pair of brackets'D E set one above the other and rigidly connected together and supported by the said plates H, substantially as set forth.

5. In a scaifold of the character described, the combination with a telescopic Vertical supporting-post comprising a stationary upright beam and a sliding upright beam; the brackets D E set one above the other and rigidly-connected with said sliding beam;

rods or bars extending from the lower to the upper bracket; and the removable bolts K, extending through vertical openings in'the two brackets, substantially as described.

6. In a scaifold of the character described, telescopic upright posts; platform-supporting brackets rigidly secured to the verticallymoving elements in said posts and extending on opposite sides thereof; and the supple mental hanging scaffolds consisting of the vertical portions L connected at their lower ends to receive a platform, the outwardlyextending horizontal flanges L for overlapping the inner edges of the platforms g supported by the brackets on opposite sides of the posts, and a suitable connecting-bar L, all substantially as set forth.

'HEZEKIAH MoLAUGI-ILIN. Witnesses:

HENRY W. WILLIAMS, A. N. BONNEY. 

